Gods and Monsters
by Bride of Thranduil
Summary: Emery, a son of Hecate, and Esther, a daughter of Clio, battle monsters in this new epic.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Summary: Emery, son of Hecate, and Esther, daughter of Clio (the muse of history), battle monsters in this new epic.

A/N: I wanted to explore what life would be like for demigods as adults, so I created Esther, the daughter of a minor goddess, who's not likely to attract too many monsters. She and Emery are both original characters. Also, I'm looking for a beta, so if anyone reads this and wants to be my beta, please PM me.

Chapter 1: Chili Pepper Hitchhiker

I know what you're going to ask. Esther, why are you crouched behind a dumpster with your grandad's rifle waiting to shoot a teenager? Good question. You can blame Hera, the queen of the gods. This particular disaster started when I picked up a hitchhiker on my way home from a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.

Perhaps I should mention… I'm a demigod. My biological mom was Clio, the muse of history or poetry or something. She and her eight sisters are responsible for inspiring mortals in a lot of their creative endeavors. I'm one of the lucky ones. After I was born, Clio dropped me off with my biological father, who promptly gave me up for adoption. I know what you're thinking. That doesn't sound lucky, but trust me. Gods and goddesses don't usually ask their paramours if they're interested in children. They just show up after a while and dump them on their mortal partner. Because, you know, parenting sounds like it would take time away from doing godly stuff. Sometimes you don't even have to date a goddess to end up with one of her kids. Annabeth Chase, one of the longest running campers at Camp Half-Blood, is a daughter of Athena. She inspired Annabeth's dad when he was working on his dissertation and then boom. She dropped off a "brain child" that belonged to both of them. I'm pretty sure my birth was more traditional. Anyway, whoever he was, he dropped me off at the nearest hospital and that was that.

Remember, before you get all sad, I told you I was lucky. I was promptly snatched up and adopted by the couple who became my parents. They're the best. A lot of people would have freaked out when I got old enough to start attracting monsters, but my parents played it cool. Somehow they found out about Camp Half Blood and I started spending summers there when I was eleven. As the daughter of a very minor goddess, I don't attract that many monsters and the ones I do attract aren't usually that badass. I've lived a pretty normal life. I went to college and majored in history (go figure). I was planning on teaching high school, but life doesn't always turn out the way you think it will. I took a job teaching middle school thinking I'd get experience for a year and then move on. Five years later, I'm still here. Most of the kids are okay, except the seventh graders. They should be locked in a closet for the entire year. I also got licensed as a foster parent a couple of years ago and I try to use that to help any young demigods I come across. I know I had it easy growing up. Many, if not most, demigods end up in foster care or homeless at some point. I step in when I can.

Anyway, I was on my way home from the concert when I saw this kid trying to get a ride on the side of the road. He looked young, maybe fifteen, and his clothes had seen better days. I don't usually pick up hitchhikers, but sometimes I get a sense about people. Something about this kid screamed demigod. I pulled to the side of the road. "Need a lift?" I asked him. He threw a grody duffel bag in the back seat and climbed in shotgun. "Where are you headed?"

He shrugged, "Anywhere, but here."

I smiled and held out my hand, "I'm Esther." I needed to get him to confirm my suspicions before I could help.

"I'm Emery."

"As in Emerys Merlin?" He shot me a wary look as I started up the engine. I drive a blue Prius. Yeah, I look more like a soccer mom than a superhero, but that's exactly what I want you to think. "That makes you a son of Hecate then, am I right? Unless you're part of a Celtic pantheon that I'm not familiar with."

Emery sighed and leaned his seat back, "You caught me. What does that make you, another impusa? I'm so tired of running from impusa. They seem so nice, but they're teeth are so sharp."

"How old do I look to you?"

"I feel like that's a question I shouldn't answer."

"I'm not trying to make a point about asking a lady's age. Seriously, how old do you think I am?"

"Early thirties?"

"A little north of the mark, but close enough. How old do impusa usually appear?"

"Younger, like high school or college age."

"Exactly."

"Okay, so you're not an impusa. Are you a siren?"

"Come on, kid. Am I trying to lure you somewhere with my singing?"

"Okay, I give up, what are you?"

"I'm a half blood." He stared at me blankly. "A demigod. Like you."

"You're like me?"

"Has anyone explained the fundamentals to you?"

"You mean like the birds and the bees talk. I get enough of that in my health class."

"I mean the fundamental of being a half blood. We all have one godly parent and one mortal one. Who raised you?"

"My grandma in Brooklyn. She died a couple of months ago and this creepy lawyer showed up and said he was my guardian. He tried to send me some boarding school upstate, but I snuck out and I've been on the run since."

"He was probably a monster. Good job giving him the slip."

"Now that I think about it, he did this thing where he flashed another set of eyeballs when he blinked. It was pretty freaky."

"He was definitely a monster."

"What did he want with me?"

"Half bloods are immune to certain magical rules. Sometimes we can go places other beings can't or perform certain tasks. Without knowing what kind of monster he is, I couldn't begin to guess. Was your grandmother on your mom's side or dad's side?"

"She was my dad's mom. I never knew my mom."

"Hecate still looks like a good candidate then."

"Isn't she the goddess of magic?"

"Okay, this is the short version. The gods from Greek mythology are real and Mount Olympus is in Manhattan. The gods go around having kids with mortals, just like they did in mythology, and those kids are called demigods. We usually have certain gifts, depending on who our godly parent is. Around the age of eleven, we start to attract monsters and many of us are sent to Camp Half Blood to be trained in how to fight them. A lot of us suffer from ADHD and dyslexia because battle reflexes and the ability to read ancient Greek are hardwired into our brains. We get in trouble a lot. We get kicked out of school. Lots of us get killed before we make it to Camp."

"That makes sense."

"You're taking this calmly."

"It actually explains a lot. Weird stuff always happens to me. Gran said I'd grow out of it, but I knew there something else going on."

"I'm impressed that you lasted this long on your own. Lots of demigods would have been monster food by now."

"I keep a low profile and never stay in one place for too long."

"Those days are over. You can stay with me for now and in a few weeks I'll take you to Camp Half Blood."

"What's happening in a few weeks?"

"School lets out for the summer. Most demigods only go to Camp part-time. They get their training and they go home. Some go on to live in the mortal world like me. Only the most powerful half bloods, the ones who attract the most monsters, stay year-round. It's too dangerous for them to live anywhere else. You have good survival skills, but Hecate is also a relatively minor goddess. You've lasted this long, which means the worst monsters don't think you're worth hunting."

"What am I going to do until I go to Camp?"

"I'm a licensed foster parent. I'll get your paperwork in order. I'm sure there won't be any record of this lawyer who took you, so it'll get written up as an abduction. If you don't have any other relatives, I'll ask to have you placed in my care. You have good timing. It's late enough in the year that you probably won't have to register for school until the fall."

"I was in ninth grade before my grandma died."

"How was that going?"

"It was okay. I did a magic act in the school talent show."

"I'm sure it was awesome. You probably have a real aptitude for it. Are you hungry?" We stopped at a Denny's. He ate enough for three people, but I didn't complain. I had no idea when the poor kid had his last meal. I took him home to my apartment. I keep the second bedroom ready for fosters. Sometimes they come in on short notice. There's a standard bed, dresser, and desk in there. "There's some generic toiletries in the bathroom. We'll hit the store tomorrow and pick up anything you need. You're welcome to decorate the room with posters or whatever if you want. I want you to know that you're safe here. I'm a demigod, too, so I know what to look out for, and I know you're not crazy. If you think something weird is happening, it is. A lot of us end up living with people who think we're nuts. I can throw the stuff from your duffel in the laundry if you want, or you can do it. The stuff is on top of the washer." He nodded and fought a yawn. This had to be a lot of him to take in and he suddenly looked younger. He was just a kid. He shouldn't have to do this alone. I got him settled in and set an alarm for early the next morning. I had to put in a call to social services.

The next afternoon Emery shuffled out in a pair of my college sweatpants and oversized Disney T-shirt. He'd slept for eighteen hours.

"Afternoon, sunshine."

"What time is it?"

"After three."

"No way."

"Way. You should get dressed. There's a caseworker coming over to evaluate the suitably of your living arrangements." He raised his eyebrows, "What? I called social services this morning. They're putting together a file. You're officially in the system now."

"Just what I always wanted, my own foster care experience."

Chapter 2: The Long Ride to Camp

Basically, they get attacked by monsters. I have to come up with a reason why. There's an epic battle where Esther annihilates everything and we find out that she's actually the daughter of Hera. It's shocking because Here is the goddess of marriage. She's not supposed to have children.


End file.
